I put the new dark iris here, with Ceanothus impressus ‘Victoria’ blooming in back. C. ‘Blue Jeans’ blooms earlier, but between the gray skies and the more muted blue of the flowers, it is way less showy.

Here’s a closer look at that iris in full bloom.

Down at the other end of Delusional Drive, a mahogany iris (again NOID) shows up nicely against a background of Stachys ‘Helen Von Stein’.

On the other side of the drive, foxgloves volunteer en masse.

In Richard’s Berm of Sorrow, so called because he has it crammed with weeping and prostrate plants, Rhododendron ‘Ebony Pearl’ is sprouting shiny new red leaves that will eventually turn the dark color that gives it its name (much preferable to the pink flowers which, thankfully, are fleeting).

Eremurus ‘Cleopatra’ is working up to a fine showing. Cleo adds a few more stems each year.

Since Cleo seemed so happy here, I move E. ‘Ruiter’s Hybrid’ to keep her company. This seems to be the sweet spot for these treasures. I’m at least as happy as they are.

Look at the cute little candy striped bud on the Rosa rugosa ‘Alba’ I got from Anna at last year’s swap.

It looked like it would bloom pink, but I should have known to trust Anna.

I wanted to cluster pots out front, but I didn’t want the hassle of grass growing up all around and between them. My solution was to lay down thick layers of newspaper, position the pots and fill in around them with pea gravel.

The orchid-like blooms on the strawberry saxifrage I got from Linda are light and airy.

They quickly filled this big pot. A small Chamaecyparus lawsoniana ‘Somerset’ will have to do some serious growing to hold its own.

Inside, an orchid that has sat unnoticed on a windowsill is proving that neglect is its favorite kind of treatment.

I was thinking that repotting was in order when I noticed a bud. On closer examination I found three more budding stems.

Not one to argue with success, however unearned, I plopped pot and all into this wonderful tin cachepot. Now I can look forward to several months of continuing beauty. These are just a few of the highlights revealed by a stroll in early June. How is June unfolding at your place?

It all started with a visit to Jockey Hill Nursery, where Michelle babies her plants without any help from nasty stuff like pesticides. I came away with two Italian cypress, Cupressus sempervirens ‘Glauca’, flanked by two Yucca rostrata ‘Sapphire Skies’ in the back row. The two pots on the left hold Perovskia ‘Crazy Blue’. The Epimedium rubrum on the left sits next to Epimedium ‘Enchantress’ on the right. In front of them is Iris foetidissima ‘Variegata’. On the right is Senecio greyi. Rounding out the group is Rhypsalis and Aloe maculata.

Oh my, look at all the plants that came home with me from the bloggers’ plant swap at Jenni’s (more about that later). Back row, left and right, Yucca (sorry, name escapes me at the moment), Cedrus deodora ‘Prostrate Beauty’ and a raspberry. Tucked in at left, Ricinus communis ‘New Zealand Purple’ from Alison and on the right Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ from Heather. Next row: Acorus graminans ‘Ogon’,also from Alison, Libertia peregrinans ‘Bronze Sword’ from Jane, two Artemisia ‘Valerie Finnis’ from Linda, two more of those Acorus and Sedum sieboldii ‘Medio varigatum’, again from Heather, who brashly nicknamed it ‘Clown Whore Sedum’. Front row, left to right: Blueberry Glaze from Loree, two little Euphorbia starts and two golden oregano. In the grand melee that surrounds plant fever, I failed to note the sources of everything I grabbed, so if you see something that came from you, please let me know (thanks, Alison). I always like to give credit where credit is due, not to mention the warm feelings every time I see a gift plant thriving out there. Delusional Drive is filling in nicely, thanks to all these wonderful blogging friends.

I also scored a Pseudopanax ferox at Hortlandia. It’s a strangely wonderful plant and as I carried it to the car not a soul failed to exclaim over it. No pix, as it is small and not very photogenic at this point. I am currently pondering placement as I furiously plant all the other stuff that has come my way. With two gardens to whip into shape (HAH! Like that will ever happen) and the Portland Trail Blazers to cheer and moan over, I’ve been sadly negligent in the blogging and commenting department. This rainy day is good for something.

Everything still in clay pots made it onto the front deck so that the pots will live to see another season. Also in there are a few things in glazed pots that can stand the cold, but not the wet.

A few things, like Picea pungens ‘Fat Albert’ made it into the ground, where poor Al looks a little lost and forlorn. He is destined to grow big, though…

so I envision him one day standing out against the dark background of the cedar trees in all his silvery glory, much like the golden Cryptomeria japonica ‘Sekkan Sugi’, planted in ’04.

I picked all of the dahlias that were in bloom, anticipating that they would turn to mush in the freeze.

Not so. These happy new blooms seem little worse for the cold temps.

I picked all of the Zinnias too. The remaining stems may not make it all the way to new blooms, but we shall see. In the meantime, our house is looking pretty festive.

Not much continuity here, though, with summery dahlias and zinnias in one part of the house and the fall arrangement of Chasmantium latiflorium and dried ‘Limelight’ Hydrangeas with a few squashes in another.

Richard gets a little panicky when I start moving plants indoor, fearing that it will get claustrophobic.

So I left a few things out, incorporated others into existing pots and tucked things into corners here and there. We’re both happy with the results. I hope the plants will be.

Wandering around to assess what Jack Frost had wrought, I spotted one lonely little muhly bloom (if you look closely, you can see it against the dark background provided by Sami…she’s an unusually accommodating cat, um, occasionally).

It’s not even on the healthiest looking of the three plants I got from Scott of Rhone Street Gardens. I think I can expect a stunning display this time next year.

Once again, the Kniphofia multiflora is racing against time.

All of those little buds seem unfazed, so perhaps this year it will make it.

I love the way the tip of the blooming stalk curls over and almost echoes the silhouette of the weeping Sequioia behind it.

Strange things are happening out by the compost bins. I’ll close with a plea to all of you knowledgeable observers of nature. Can anyone tell me what this is? I’m pretty sure we shouldn’t try to eat it.

I just spent some time looking through a grab bag of photos. It’s a good time to take stock of what worked, what didn’t and what to do about it. As our friends across the pond might say, “jiggering”.

It’s hard to know what to expect when growing something new from seed. The dainty ‘Buddha’s Hand’ Cosmos are not the desired orange, but more golden.

They peek coquettishly through the base of Leonotis, also grown from seed. The Lion’s Tail grew to mammoth proportions, making it a poor choice for placement towards the front of this new bed.

It played nicely with the bronze fennel, but eclipsed the ‘Pretty Woman’ trying to assert herself at the bottom of the photo.

When the rains came, they flopped, squashing all of those little cosmos. This bed is in for a major overhaul come spring. Most of the offenders are annuals, so no big deal. I chalk it up to “live and learn’.

Another annual from seed, Nicotiana langsdorfii, performed admirably. It’s one of those see-through plants, with dangling acid-green flowers rising sporadically on tall stems from ground-level rosettes…and it doesn’t try to upstage ‘Pretty Woman’.

Nor does it obscure Phygelius ‘Devil’s Tears’ at the back of the bed.

A couple of the ‘Lion’s Tails’ placed in a sunnier location with less water grew to only three feet. Next year, I think I’ll try them along the fence line, where the conditions split the difference. I like them enough to keep trying.

Back in July, the dry berm was being invaded by these annoying grasses.

With the help of my trusty screwdriver, I dug deep to remove the roots (well on their way to reaching for China). Now the grasses are back. Maybe not as plentiful as before, but unless I do something they are sure to reestablish their foothold.
When I started this berm, I laid down thick layers of newspaper to smother the grass before piling on the soil mix. I loathe the idea of dismantling and starting from scratch, but a lifelong career of digging out grass roots is not too appealing either. Any suggestions?

All roots are not created equal. The foliage of Persicaria ‘Purple Shield’ makes a wonderful filler for bouquets, all the while sprouting roots like crazy. Voila! More little purple shields coming up. Same story with the coleus to the right, but I’ll just replace those with new ones next year.

The most interesting feature of Heuchera ‘Sashay’ is the reddish color on the undersides of its leaves. Tucked away in the ground, who knew?

No elevated walls around here to show it off to advantage, but a hanging pot is the next best thing. Once it recovers from transplant shock, I expect a nice glow from those leaves.

Gooseneck loosestrife is famous for going crazy when it is happy, so I put a clump of it where it would get neither the shade nor abundant water it craves. True, it resists running amok, but it also comes off as somewhat anemic.

By contrast, in the woodland, the foliage is lush and deep green, showing off those cute little goose heads which I adore. Sometimes a little extra effort to keep things in bounds is well worth it.

My monkey puzzle tree started out as a mere twig. It is finally beginning to put on significant growth. At Cistus, they have several, and I was taken with the dense plantings crowding around them. Not crowding this close though. Come spring, I’m going to need to find a new spot for that wonderful Euphorbia ‘Fire Charm’. How about you? What needs tweaking now that the season is drawing to a close?